HMS Richmond | Royal Navy

HMS Richmond (F239)

Currently in the process of decommissioning, HMS Richmond is the seventh Royal Navy ship to proudly bear the name and enjoys strong links to several affiliations in both Richmond upon Thames and Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Role

Like all Type 23 frigates, HMS Richmond was designed to hunt submarines, but since the end of the Cold War, the role of the frigate within the Royal Navy has become more varied, making them the core of the frontline fleet.

In travelling the world protecting our nation’s interests, HMS Richmond has undertaken virtually every type of operation imaginable, from counter narcotics and anti-piracy, to disrupting people trafficking and detaining criminals.

Duke Class

Unit history

1655

First Richmond

The first ship to carry the name HMS Richmond was a 26-gun ship. Built at Portsmouth as HMS Wakefield, launched 1655, and renamed 1660. She took part in the Anglo-Dutch wars.

1757

Fourth Richmond

The fourth Richmond was a 32-gun ship built in Deptford, launched in 1757. She played key roles in the wars with France, including the capture of Quebec and the conquest of Havana.

1781

Capture

The fourth Richmond also served in the American Wars of Independence, during which she was captured by the French ship Aigrette in 1781. Battle Honours at Chesapeake Bay in 1781.

1940

World War II

The sixth Richmond started life as the USS Fairfax in 1917. She transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 under the Lend-Lease agreement. She earned Battle Honours in the Atlantic (1941) and in the Arctic (1942).

1995

Seventh Richmond

The seventh, and current, HMS Richmond (F239) is the 10th of 16 Type 23 Duke-Class Frigates to join the Royal Navy. She was built at Swan Hunter Shipbuilders on the Tyne, launched 6 April 1993.

2003

Al Faw, Iraq

HMS Richmond along with HMS Chatham, HMS Marlborough and HMAS Anzac provided Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) to support 40 Commando's amphibious assault on the Al Faw peninsula in Iraq.

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